The Last Day
by Umaan
Summary: Commander Nova's last day as a fighting member of the Stormtrooper Corps is upon him. He fights on no matter what, even as the odds stack up to impossiblity in front of his very eyes. The war has held him in its clutches for what seems like forever now. Explore the mind of this Stormtrooper veteran in The Last Day.


The Last Day

A distant howl grew into a deafening screech as two TIE Fighters zoomed through the rain, and over a network of forts dotting fields caked with mud and littered with debris. Nova noticed there were only two left. An X-Wing giving chase spat a volley of red lasers, and the closest TIE Fighter caught fire. It swerved hard and slammed into the ground, erupting into flames. One left. Nova looked back at the ground. The dull drum of rain hitting his helmet had lulled him into zoning out. Snapping out of it, he leaned against the forward wall of the trench surrounding the base his company defended.

The stormtrooper shouldered his rifle and held the trigger, aiming at rebels lying in the mud far off, who were already battering the defenses with heavy laser fire. His rifle sputtered crimson bolts of energy as it hammered his arm. The roar of a TIE Fighter sounded again, as it zipped across Nova's vision, parallel to the trench. Magenta light emanating from the pursuing X-Wing's engines illuminated the night sky. It sprayed more lasers, landing square in the TIE fighter's center. Its engines gave out, and it tore into the mud, rolling for a few meters before grinding to a halt. The barrel of Nova's rifle scorched his gloved hand, and he whipped it away in recoil. The weapon had overheated. Rain evaporated as soon as it hit the rifle, and steam wafted through the air. Boots came storming through the mud in the trench to Nova's left. He looked over and saw his Sergeant, marked by a thick orange shoulder pad attached to his chestplate, running past other troopers. The soldiers in the trench had mud and burn marks on their uniforms from lasers that just barely grazed them. The Sergeant stepped over a lifeless set of dirt-caked armor and stood next to Nova.

"Commander! All of our TIE's have been shot down! We have no air support!" He barked, over the boom of stationary turrets behind the trench.

"Well call for more, damn it!" Nova yelled back. "They're jamming our communications! I can't get a signal back to the Resilient!"

"Well you better," Nova pointed into the dusk sky ahead of them, "Before those bombers weigh in!" Dazzling flashes of orange and white scarred the clouds. Rebel bombers were tearing up the Imperial Fleet in the skies, and they now had a clear path to bomb the defenseless ground forces.

"Aye, Sir!" The Sergeant saluted, and jogged back to his post. Nova watched him run off. That Sergeant was the only soldier in the company he personally knew, yet his armor was the only way he could distinguish him when they were on duty. Nova had seen many of their faces when off duty. They drank together, but to Nova, they were just buddies, not friends. He let his mind run while barraging rebel soldiers.

Nova glanced at the troopers in the trenches with him, and wondered about them. They surely knew him, he was their Commander. But how many of them could he recognize? Suddenly, a red blur sliced through the soldier he was examining. Nova's vision was blurry. His hand fumbled up to his helmet's visor and wiped away some water that had accumulated.

"August…" The soldier moaned through his helmet, before collapsing. _August._ Nova mouthed the new name. His back splashed into a puddle of dirty water, as his head dragged on the trench's rear wall. Nova crouched down to face the fallen trooper. He leaned his rifle against the wall and checked the stormtrooper's ID. _Aran Gunnar, 23._ On a closer look, Nova also found a data recorder. He felt guilty to look through it, but he couldn't fight his compulsion. _Aran, please come back. I better see you at the spaceport someday. I don't care when, just please don't leave me alone. We're going to start a family together when you get back okay? Stay safe. Love, August._ Nova's eyes began to sting. August was never going to see her lover again. This soldier, Aran, was loved. Nova had no one waiting for him. The endlessness of the war was all that waited for Commander Eric Kur.

"Sir, are you okay?" A trooper called out to him.

"Um… I'm fine." Nova recomposed himself, and picked up his weapon. The rebels had gotten closer, and were getting bolder. Nova opened fire on a few poor souls who left cover at the wrong time. One collapsed, and his friend darted behind a wrecked AT-ST walker curled up on the ground. Nova looked around the rest of the front line. The rebels were slowly closing in, almost surrounding the fortress. "Sergeant! Where's our air support?" The Sergeant said nothing. "Sergeant!" A Corporal, sporting a black shoulder pad sprinted to Nova.

"Sarge is dead, Sir! Rebels got him." The Corporal set himself on the wall alongside Nova and joined the barrage.

"What about the Resilient? Was he able to make contact?"

"Sir, the Resilient has left the atmosphere. It's taken severe damage, and Admiral Ulysses ordered it out of the system." Nova's stomach dropped.

"Alright, then who's left?"

"Commander, all Star Destroyers are either downed, or evacuating. We're on our own." Fear, pain, and anger shot through Nova's veins all at once. But fear took over. "Sir, what are your-" A laser hit the Corporal's jet black shoulder pad, and was stopped in the thick, laser-proofed hide. "What are you orders?"

"Get everyone out of the trenches. The interior of the base will be a better defensive position." Nova barked. He knew he was not just cut off, but abandoned by his superiors. Something within him was still determined to fight, however.

"Aye-aye!" The Corporal agreed, rushing down the trench relaying the orders. "Come on you blokes! Fall back to the base! We're gonna show those rebels no one messes with the Empire!" Nova couldn't care less about the Empire. He no longer fought for His Majesty. Not since a long time ago. For Nova, this war was about survival. For himself, and his men. Nova grabbed Aran's data recorder and slipped it into a compartment on his utility belt. He climbed out of the trench and dashed toward the base. The large steel gate rose, and he led the troops through.

Once all that was left of the company was inside the base, Nova led them into the courtyard in the center of the base. They arranged crates and brought out turrets, preparing to face the rebels head-on. Nova climbed on top of one of the large crates in the center.

"Men. The enemy is drawing closer, and victory is very uncertain. Command has abandoned us. We're all that's left… If you want to surrender, I won't stop you. But for those of you who choose to fight: I admire your bravery. Our sacrifice won't be remembered if we lay down and die." August's words ran through Nova's mind. It was a message imbued with love meant for Aran, not Nova. But Nova couldn't help but feel like she was rooting for him. _I'll avenge your Aran._ It was the closest thing Nova had to love now. "So stand your ground! Don't give them an inch without a fight!" The troopers cheered, and hurrahed. Nova scanned the array of soldiers standing below him in the courtyard's moonlight. "All who choose to surrender, raise an arm." No one budged. A smile crept across Nova's face. "That's what I like to see." He dropped from the crate, and assigned troopers defensive positions.

The stormtroopers lay in wait for their enemy. Some thought about surrender. But none dared abandon their brothers. The doors burst open, and laserfire lit up the room. Five rebels who had charged in were all killed nearly immediately. Nova, crouched behind one of the foremost crates, barraged the invaders. The Corporal at his side did the same. A grenade rolled into the room, chirping. Suddenly, it burst, and Nova was sprayed with debris and ash. Two troopers across from him were flung through the room, and lifelessly slammed into the wall. Soldiers kept firing, and spreading out.

Eventually, over what seemed like an eternity, they were worn down. Nova noticed it was down to him, the Corporal, and two other troopers circled around, as the rebels began to taper off. A near-impossible victory was within reach. But when rebel soldiers fell back, a horrible ring filled the air. Nova looked up into the clouds, and saw three faint, magenta orbs. Suddenly, Eric Kur realized what was happening. Time slowed down, and the rest of the galaxy seemed to melt away. He stared into the lights, aching with the sobering sting of defeat. The Y-Wing Bombers closed in and dropped their payload. The beautiful, sleek warheads fell around him, like snow on the coldest of days. Eric Kur shut his eyes. He was tired. He felt as if he could sleep forever. The searing heat of an explosion surged through him, and he accepted his fate.

END


End file.
